Jay Park is a rapper, singer, songwriter, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame as the leader of the popular Korean boy band 2PM.
Because of a lot of controversies, Park left the band. Regardless, he has successfully established himself as a solo artist.
Park has revolutionized K-pop with his talent. He is best known for his songs like ‘All I Wanna Do,’ ‘Mommae,’ ‘Drive,’ and ‘Me like yuh (k).’
In a certain way, Park has also revolutionized the beauty standard of Korea as well. For example, tattoos are taboo in Korea and are not accepted.
Park is one of the few Korean celebrities who has tattoos. He has over 35 tattoos on his body. It was not appreciated by the media, but slowly, it is becoming accepted into the industry.
Every tattoo on Park’s body has an inspiration behind it. Here are some of the iconic tattoos the rapper has on his body.
Jay Park and His Tattoos
In an interview with GQ Korea, Park discussed his tattoos and why he got them. Tattoos are a way for the rapper to express himself.
Park proudly flaunts his tattoos. He does not regret any of them and does not have a favorite either.
Each tattoo on his body is his favorite since he chose to get them. Park also finds the idea of not liking one’s tattoo “silly.”
He thinks that not liking something permanent on one’s body is a waste of feelings.
Park wanted a tattoo ever since he was in high school. He was first introduced into the world of tattoos by fellow hip-hop artist Dok2. Dok2 also has a lot of tattoos, and he introduced Park to his tattoo artist.
That was when Park got his first tattoo. It was ‘AOM’ inked behind his right ear. He did so as an homage to his B-Boy crew, Art of Movement. Another ‘Art of Movement’ tattoo is inked on his left forearm.
The rapper was hooked after his first tattoo. His second tattoo was the birthdates of his mother, father, brother, and himself. The tattoo is inked on his left chest.
Below the birthdates, a huge lion adorns his left chest. The lion symbolizes strong-heartedness to him.
This is not the only lion-related tattoo on his body. He also has a lion wearing a crown on his right hand and ‘Heart Of A Lion’ below his right collarbone.
While needles piercing on the skin hurts, Park has gotten used to it by now. However, the one that hurt him the most was the tattoo on the back of his head.
The rapper has a huge angel tattooed on the back of his head. He confessed it was the first tattoo that hurt to the point where he thought he could not finish it.
Park got the tattoo in 2016 and almost regretted it. However, once it was finished, it was all worth it.
He has several other angel tattoos. For example, an angle inked with ‘ Fear no evil’ written on the left side of his torso. Similarly, another angel is tattooed on his left legs.
The rapper has a couple of music-related tattoos adorning his body. He has different musical notes and a microphone with wings on his right leg.
He also has another microphone inked on his left forearm. Similarly, he has a single musical note on his left hand.
Park has also dedicated a few tattoos to his musical career. He has ‘HiP HOP Bboy LiFe’ inked on his left arm.
The rapper has inked New Breed on his left hand as a dedication to his first full-length album as a solo artist.
Park is the CEO and founder of independent hip hop record label AOMG. To honor this, he has AOMG tattooed on his right leg.
He also has a tattoo dedicated to his fans. They call themselves the jwalkerz hence he has ‘JWALKERZ’ tattoo on the upper portion of his back.
Another iconic tattoo Park has is that of a compass on his neck. The compass indicates him to follow his heart. It also symbolizes his hometown, Seattle. Park claims the tattoo is dedicated to the Seattle Mariners.
Park has several other tattoos like stars, a caricature of himself, the South Korean flag, roses, and various quotes, among others scattered around his body.
Korea and Tattoos
While it is not illegal to have tattoos in Korea, it is not appreciated. The locals conclude that tattooed people belong to a gang or mafia.
Over time, the attitude towards tattoos has slightly changed. However, the deeply rooted taboo still exists in Korea.
When Park first got his tattoos, he confessed that his mother did not speak with him for three days. Similarly, his fans also bashed him.
Whenever Park used to be on TV, his tattoos would be blurred out without letting him know. So he had to wear long sleeves and gloves while performing so that his tattoos would remain hidden.
Regardless, the attitude towards tattoos has changed for the better, and Park no longer has to hide his tattoos.